


Sam: Sacrifices

by slaysvamps



Series: Samantha Brown Chronicles [4]
Category: World of Darkness (Games)
Genre: Gen, Mage: The Ascension - Freeform, Vampire: The Masquerade - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-26 00:42:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20380843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slaysvamps/pseuds/slaysvamps
Summary: The future of the Verbena magick is at stake and only Samantha knows the solution. But can she freely give what needs to be given?





	1. The Trimuritive

**Author's Note:**

> While we have used the names of some celebrities and their likenesses (such as the Backstreet Boys) this is not a RPF.

_In this place beyond my sight_  
_My heart knows what is not yet seen_  
_ Jewel – Becoming_

IT WAS A NORMAL evening, the day our world changed. AJ had finished writing just after 4:00, and had spent the last few hours with Brendan and me. We didn’t expect anything monumental to happen, which is perhaps ironic, considering what some people call me.

Just after seven I got a call from Rachael Black, the priestess of the Black Rose Coven. She was my mentor in magic and when she told me that a very important member of the Verbena Tradition was in town and wanted to meet me, I was shocked.

While it was true that I had an uncommon gift, I had awakened less than two years before. Surely my talents were not advanced enough to warrant a visit from the Trimuritive. Despite my doubts, Rachael assured me that he did in fact wish to see me.

We had all heard of Malcolm Robbins, of course. Most Verbena at least knew his name now. Late last year our magic had fizzled, reminding us all that our magic was tied to his well being. Some considered him a god, but most thought he was one of the Aedun, a child of the Wyck who really were gods once upon a time.

Rachael told me that Malcolm was visiting the Verbena who ran the Four Seasons, a New Age shop downtown. Summer and Winter Walker would be accompanying Malcolm to my house, while Rachael and Jared Smith would come a few minutes early to be there when they arrived.

AJ wasn’t quite as excited about our visitors as I was, but then he wasn’t involved in magic the way I was. He did want to meet Malcolm if only to see the man who made my magic possible. Min, on the other hand, was even more excited than me, telling me of the time in a previous life when we had met the incarnation of the Verbena magic.

We quickly picked up the house and were ready when Rachael and Jared rang the bell. My mentor made sure that I knew we weren’t to treat him as a god, or even a demi-god. Malcolm was human, like the rest of us, and though it was expected that we show him respect, he didn’t want anyone’s worship.

I knew two of the women with the Trimuritive from various magical gatherings since my awakening. I ignored Min’s chattering as our guests arrived. I didn’t need his input to see that Malcolm and Winter had once been involved, or to know that she still fancied herself in love with him. Summer was happy to see Jared, as they’d been dating regularly for the last few years.

Summer introduced us to Malcolm and I did my best to hide my surprise. He did indeed look perfectly normal, with hair that brushed his shoulders, black boots and blue jeans, and a long sleeved shirt under a vintage concert tee. If it wasn’t for his eyes he could have been anyone on the street, but his eyes were too old to be anyone but a master of magic.

Malcolm in turn introduced Sybillia, a tall thin woman with dark skin, eyes and hair that hung over her face. She was dressed much like Malcolm, though in a more feminine style, but it was quite plain to me that she was not human. Her aura had the glow of the fae to it. Once the introductions were out of the way, she stayed in the background, watching everything through her hair and not saying much of anything at all.

AJ and I invited everyone to have a seat in the living room, and offered them drinks. Once everyone had settled in, we began talking, first about life and general, and about everyone there, but gradually the talk turned to the art and craft of Magic.

“If I may ask, what did happen last year?” Rachael inquired politely. “Everyone was very concerned.”

Concerned, Min scoffed in my mind. Panicked is more like it. All the magic in the world and none of the Verbena could touch a bit of it.

Malcolm seemed uncomfortable, but he did answer. “I was captured by an evil entity which was draining our power. I used what little magic I still had to summon my Fae allies to seek help.”

Rumors had flown through the tradition that a former Verbena had been summoned to help him, one who was now a vampire and had at the time lived in Salem. The girl had been Brenda’s vampire sister.

_His fae had come for Christina Kline_, Min reminded me. _Brenda told us she’s in Detroit now, with little memory of her life before rescuing the Trimuritive._

“Brenda mentioned something about a friend of hers,” Rachel added hesitantly. “Christina...?”

He smiled warmly. “Yes, they brought Chris to help me.”

“Brenda wasn’t real clear about what happened, exactly,” Jared said, “but as long as everything has turned out fine...”

“It has,” Malcolm assured us, “For the moment anyway.”

“For the moment...?” Rachel prompted.

_She’s going to panic again,_ Min warned. _She’s afraid that she’ll loose the craft forever._

_I know, and I would be panicking too,_ I told him as I watched the shapes and movements in Malcolm’s aura, _but it’s not going to happen._ I knew somehow that the magic would not falter again. “All will be well,” I told Rachael aloud.

“I have seen that as well,” Malcolm agreed, “though I do not know the path to be taken yet. Fate will reveal it in her own time.”

“You need something,” I replied softly. “Something important.”

“Yes.” He was watching me closely, and I wondered what he saw when he looked at me. “Something that has been denied to me twice before.”

_Do you see it?_ Min whispered. _She has always stood in his way, directly and indirectly, preventing him from fulfilling his destiny. No wonder he wiped her mind. I’m surprised he did not simply destroy her._

I could see it there, in his aura, the problems he’d had with Christina. “Why would she—” I stopped, looking to first Summer, then Rachael, not sure if I should continue. The images I’d seen were perhaps too personal to share.

“What did you see, little one?” he asked gently.

I looked at Rachael again, and when she nodded, I looked back at Malcolm. “Why would she stop you? She was one of us, wasn’t she? Didn’t she know how important it is that you...?” The images around him were shifting and changing, making it difficult for me to read what was in his past, in his future. “I can’t quite tell what it is you must do.”

“Lizzy’s death had nothing to do with Chris,” he told us. “That was her father’s doing, and the second... she did not remember what she once was.”

As he spoke I realized I could understand more and more of the shifting images in his aura. “The time is growing close, isn’t it? You must succeed soon, or you never will.” I wanted to ask what it was he needed, but I felt that it wasn’t my place.

“Yes.”

“What is it that you need?” Rachael asked, voicing my unspoken question. “Maybe we can help you.”

“A child,” he said softly. “One to raise as my own, to become the next, and take my place.”

_And only death will ensure the continuation of the Verbena craft,_ Min added needlessly, for I’d seen that myself.

“And to ensure our craft will go on,” I whispered, “you must die.”

He nodded. “I must die in order for my child to become the next.”

“A sacrifice for the greater good,” I added very softly.

“But you need a child for this?” Rachael was trying to understand, looking for a way that she could help ensure that the magic and our tradition continue. “Any child?”

“No, it cannot be just any child.”

Suddenly some of the images made sense to me. “Her child.”

_A vampire cannot have a child, _Min scoffed.

_She has a son,_ I told him. _One she gave away to protect the babe from her father._

Malcolm looked at me and smiled wryly. “That was the original thought, yes.”

“But now you believe differently?” Rachael asked.

“Fate has foretold my death to come soon.”

A chill settled in against my spine and I spoke words that came from somewhere deep within me, words I knew to the depths of my soul were true. “A child freely given may take on the role, to fulfill the duty of his ancient soul.”

He nodded as if he knew I spoke the truth. “But who would give their child freely to me?”

_What price would you pay to keep your magic?_ Min asked me. _Would you give your child?_

I bit my tongue before I could speak without thinking and turned to look at my son only to see him squirming off his father’s lap to stand by his knees.

“The role you fill in our tradition is vital,” Rachael said softly. “Who would not be honored to give their child for this purpose?”

Brendan began making his way along the line of people and furniture, heading toward our honored guest. He stood at the end of the couch with a finger in his mouth, looking toward the Trimuritive.

“Not all see this as we do,” Malcolm replied sadly.

“Forgive me,” Jared put in politely. “I know it is not my place to say anything, as my tradition is not your own, but I wish to understand. What will happen to the child should you find one in time?”

“I would raise him as my own,” he answered as Brendan launched himself from the edge of the couch toward him, “and train him in the Art. When the time is right, I will die, leaving the way for him to become the next incarnation of the Magic.”

I gasped as Brendan finished taking the half a dozen steps needed to reach Malcolm’s knee. “He walked!”

They were the boy’s first steps, and they’d been taken to the Trimuritive. The moment they touched, their auras… merged somehow, and began exchanging images at a rate that I couldn’t possibly keep up with. It only got worse when Malcolm picked Brendan up and set him on his knee.

_You see it there, just as I do, _Min told me. _Your son is why he has come here, though he knows it not. Your son will be the next incarnation of the Verbena art and craft._

I felt the smile fade from my face as I realized he was right. I turned to my husband only to find him watching my face. _He sees it too,_ I told Min. _For a sleeper my husband sometimes sees things as clearly as I do._

After a long moment, AJ asked of Malcolm, “What will happen if you do not find a child?”

“I will find one,” he said as he smiled at my son. “It has been shown to me.”

“And if something were to happen to interfere with your destiny, as before?” AJ asked calmly, too calmly.

“Fate has shown me that I will fulfill my purpose,” Malcolm replied, “though I do not know from where the child will come.”

You know, Min pointed out. _AJ knows as well. You may as well offer him now, there is no reason to wait._

_Hush,_ I ordered as I continued to look at my husband. _I will not give away my son without talking to my husband and seeing how he feels about it first._

_But you know it must be, _Min insisted.

While Malcolm played with my son, AJ stood and asked if anyone would like a refill on their drinks. When several people said yes, he gave me a pointed look and headed for the kitchen. I excused myself and went after him, but I wasn’t quite prepared for what he had to say.

“Did he use magic on Brendan?” he demanded the moment we were alone.

“No, of course he didn’t,” I said firmly.

“Brendan doesn’t like strangers,” he insisted. “Are you sure he didn’t cast some sort of spell?”

“AJ, Brendan went to Malcolm on his own,” I replied calmly. “Malcolm did not come here for our son; he came her for an answer, believing that I would see the path he must take to fulfill his destiny.”

“And did you?” he demanded. “What did you see?”

I sighed and moved close to my husband, putting my finger tips to his temple. “I saw their auras merge,” I told him even as I sent the image of it into his mind. “They danced together as if they were meant to be one. There is no doubt, AJ.”

He stepped back, breaking the contact of both my hand and my mind. “He’s our son, Sam. We can’t just give him away.”

“I can’t unsee it,” I replied sadly. “What is must be for the good of the Verbena, for the good of the world. A sacrifice must be made and it is an honor that our son was chosen to continue the line. He’ll be very nearly a god, AJ, at least to the Verbena.”

“Why do we have to do it?” he growled in a low voice. “Why must it be our son?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know the answer to that, honey. I only know that it must be.” Before he could continue to argue the point, the phone rang. “We’ll talk about this later,” I assured him as I reached for the receiver. “Hello.”

“Hey, Sam,” came the reply. “It’s Brenda. Everything okay there?”

Her voice helped me focus on things other than giving my son away. “Yeah, everything’s fine,” replied softly. “What’s up?

“I was wondering if you were busy.” I could hear tension in her voice, though she seemed to be trying to hide it. “Could you meet me at the chantry? It’s important.”

“Um... actually I am a little busy right now.” I didn’t want to tell her about my company, or at least who it was, since I knew she still had issues about her sister’s missing memory. “What’s this about? Can it wait?”

“The Trimuritive,” she said calmly, as if this was a business call. “He came to see me and he told me he wants a child. He wants me to help him get one. If you or Rachel knows anything that can help me, I need that information. I need your help, Sam.”

_Malcolm approached her for a child?_ Min murmured, sounding as stunned as I felt.

Perhaps my son was not the answer to Malcolm’s problem. “You’re going to help the Trimuritive get a child?” I asked carefully.

“I don’t want to, but he’s determined to get one whether I help him or not.” She hesitated a moment, then added “You need to protect Brendan.”

I looked through the archway into the living room where the boy was still sitting on Malcolm’s knee, playing contentedly. The images in their auras continued to twist and swirl, exchanging at a rate that made me dizzy just to watch it. “Why would I need to protect Brendan?”

“Chaos mentioned him as a possible candidate.” Her voice cracked a little, telling me that she was still very upset.

“Chaos?” I asked, confused. Chaos was the entity my son would become if I gave him to Malcolm and allowed him to be the next incarnation of Verbena magic. “I don’t understand.”

“Lord Chaos is the Trimuritive, Sam,” she told me. “The same guy that caused Jason’s embrace, kidnapped Lena Stockton and took away Christina’s memories is who you know as the Trimuritive. He wants a child and he’ll have one any way he can. And he wants my help to get him one.”

I knew that Chaos was the negative aspect of the Trimuritive, but standing in my kitchen watching Malcolm play with my son it was hard to believe he could ever be as evil as the stories I’d heard.

“He mentioned Brendan, honey,” Brenda continued. “We have to make sure that he stays safe. If you could come to the chantry I’ll explain everything there. Please.”

“I’m certain that Brendan is safe, Brenda,” I replied calmly, looking into Malcolm’s eyes and knowing that he heard what I was saying, “and Chaos is only part of the Trimuritive, but I would like to hear more about you helping him.” I wondered if AJ was right, if Malcolm had used magic that I hadn’t seen, hadn’t sensed. “I don’t know where the chantry is.”

She gave me directions, and once again tried to convince me that my husband and son would be safer with Rachael. Short of telling her that I had already invited Malcolm into my home, there was nothing I could do but assure her that they would be safe as Rachael was over and could keep an eye on them.

As I finished the phone call, a part of my mind was listening to AJ asking Malcolm about what would happen to the child when he found one.

“I will raise them as my own,” Malcolm answered patiently, “teach them the Art, and when the time is right I will die and they will become the next.”

“But you said you saw you would die soon,” AJ prompted

He nodded as if pleased AJ had picked upon that. “There are other dimensions, realms, worlds if you will, that run parallel to our own. Some of which exist in our own time stream, some don’t. Of those that don’t, some move faster, others slower.”

AJ had heard of those things before. My brother’s friend Frasier O’Connell was from one such world. “So you would take the child there to raise and return here in time to--to die?”

“Yes.” He said the word calmly, with no bitterness or fear.

My husband seemed stunned. “How old would the child be?”

“It would all depend on the flow of Time.” Malcolm looked up at me as I rejoined them. “Is everything all right?”

“Um... I’m not sure,” I said hesitantly. “That was my sister-in-law, Brenda. She said she talked to-to Chaos?”

“No,” he said firmly. “I spoke to Mrs. Brown earlier.”

I shook my head a little. “I don’t think Brenda understands the difference. She seemed to think you were....” I didn’t want to finish the thought, didn’t want to make accusations when I couldn’t believe Malcolm could threaten anyone.

“She is not as enlightened as she could be. I was what?” he asked. “Please, speak freely; this is your home after all.”

I glance at Rachael, at Jared and AJ. I hoped what I was about to say wouldn’t convince him that Malcolm had come for our child. “She said that you were looking for a child and implied that Brendan was on your list of candidates.”

“‘List of candidates’ huh?” he chuckled. “That is a mild way of saying what she meant. She said I what, threatened him?” He shook his head sadly. “I did not threaten anyone. I assured Brenda that I would have a child, as I have seen it is so. As have you. I offered her the privilege to choose who would be my successor. And in exchange for this I offered to return Christina’s memory.” The shapes in his aura kept moving as he spoke, still merged and entwining with my son’s aura.

“Brenda is hardly impartial when it comes to you, surely you know that,” I said regretfully. “She’s had a very difficult time dealing with Christina’s memory loss, and it seems there were other things that Chaos has done to people she cares for.”

“The loss of Chris’ memory was not difficult enough that she would aid me to get it back,” he pointed out, “and Chaos will have his reasons for what he will have done to Jason Kline.”

For a moment his use of tenses threw me, but I knew that the Trimuritive lived outside of the usual understanding of space and time. “The way Brenda talked, she plans on helping you. She wants me to come to her chantry to talk about it, though she seems to think I should make sure Brendan is safe from you first,” I added with a smile. Brendan looked more than happy to be on Malcolm’s lap.

“The family of Tremere wish to have me as well,” he said quite seriously. “They desire to study me and our magic, and maybe to take me as one of their own number.” Abruptly he smiled, as if he was finally able to see a little hope after a long time of having none. “A child freely given...”

“May I ask why you took Christina’s memory?” I asked. “I mean, she did help you, and perhaps knowing the truth would help ease Brenda’s anger.”

“I locked her memory away to protect myself and her from the Tremere.”

_Do you see it? _Min prodded. _She killed an elder of her clan and if they learn what she did, they would indeed kill her. Not to mention that they’d drill her endlessly about her time with the Trimuritive._

I smiled wryly. “I don’t think Brenda would accept that as an answer, but if that is true, why are you willing to give it back now?”

“Because I have seen that I will fulfill my destiny,” he replied calmly. “There is no more fear of the Tremere capturing me. I will die, as I am supposed to.”

“And Christina?” I prompted. “Is there no further need to protect her from her clan?”

“Once I am dead, there will be no further reason for the ones who want me to harm her.”

“I see.” And I did see. Once he was dead Brendan would take on the mantle of power and Christina would be safe, with or without her memories. “I don’t want to be rude, but Brenda is expecting me.” I turned to Malcolm. “Perhaps we could have lunch tomorrow?”

“I would like that,” he replied with a smile. “We should be going as well. May we drop you at your destination?”

“I doubt Brenda would appreciate you being that close to the chantry,” I admitted with a smile of my own, “though I appreciate the offer.”

“I suppose so,” he admitted, “but I feel she will be the only one involved in this who will lose anything.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Knowing Brenda, do you honestly believe she would ever help me?” he asked. “Her sister’s memory was the only thing I could have offered, and she declined that in short order. Were Christina ever to find out, I can only imagine how she would react. I must give equal to what I take, so whomever gives of their child shall be due compensation.”

“What could you take that would compensate for the loss of a child?” AJ asked.

“Another child,” he answered without hesitation.

Another child could never replace our first born. Another child would never be Brendan, but it could ease the ache of loosing our son. Looking at AJ, I knew he felt the same way. “Perhaps we can talk more about this tomorrow,” I suggested.

We arranged for Malcolm to come for lunch tomorrow. Rachael and Jared agreed to stay with AJ and Brendan, and minutes later I was in the car alone, on my way to the Tremere Chantry.


	2. The Tremere Chantry

_People be wise to the power of their lies_   
_Be not fooled as those who were fooled before_   
_ Inkubus Sukkubus – Burning Times_

THE HOUSE WAS huge, more the size of a five-star hotel than a home. I was still gaping at the sheer size of it when I parked near the doors. Before I could get out Rafe was there, opening my door for me.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I got out of the car.

“I’m not really sure,” he said in a low voice. “Brenda didn’t go into details. It’s about Chaos, though.

“She mentioned that on the phone, but he—” I didn’t want to mention that I’d left the Trimuritive sitting in my living room. “I guess I need to hear what she has to say. Why did she want me to come here?”

“So the clan can learn more about him,” he said as he closed the car door, “know how to handle him.”

“He’s not for any vampire to handle, Rafe,” I said sternly.

He shook his head ruefully. “Let’s go in.”

At the doorway, he introduced me to Micky Denzol and Graham. Graham was a mage and a powerful one at that. I knew they’d sent him to keep an eye on me, to make sure I didn’t try to pull some kind of magic to harm any of the occupants of the house. He must have been tied to the vampires like Rafe was because there was black in his aura.

Micky, on the other hand, was a vampire, one who owned Jesters, a club near downtown. I couldn’t help but watch him as we entered the house and walked across the foyer. There were bad things in his future, things involving explosions and fire. I couldn’t tell when they would happen, but I knew for sure he wouldn’t survive them.

I was a little uncomfortable walking into that room full of vampires. Brenda welcomed me and took the time to introduce everyone.

Elvira Van Dorn sat at the head of the table. A beautiful woman of color, she had the look of someone who was used to having her orders followed. There was pain in her future, and grief, but from what I could see she would rule Salem for a long time. She would rule, that was, if she kept a close eye on her enemies.

To Elvira’s right sat Ford Radek. He was an older man dressed in a conservative suit. Though he also had an aura of power, I thought he had a kinder heart than most seated around the table. From the shapes in his aura, he had sired Elvira and the man who sat to Elvira’s left. I couldn’t tell much about Alden Monroe other than he was Ford’s child. The vampire wore a conservative suit like that which his sire wore.

Micky sat down next to Alden, across from James Price. I’d heard of James before and knew that he had been embraced by Cormac Brennan, my friend Corrine’s father. What I hadn’t known was that he was having an affair with Elvira, or that he too had dark events in his future.

Zora Yale was the last vampire in the room. She was a pretty woman who looked about Brenda’s age, with long blond hair and a feminine styled suit. She looked at me as if she was wondering how she could use me, and I knew instantly that I had to be wary of her for my family’s sake.

“First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for coming together on such short notice,” Brenda said as we sat down at the table. “Less than an hour ago, I was… approached and I think pulled out of our reality by the man known to the Verbena as The Trimuritive. As you all may or may not know, various members of my family and circle of friends have had run ins with this man who is also known as Lord Chaos or Malcolm Robbins. He is the person responsible for the forced embraced of Jason Kline, the kidnapping of Lady Lena Stockton, and most recently the theft of all memories from our clan member, Christina Kline.”

It looked as if everyone was familiar with what she was saying, but it was the first I’d heard of Lena Stockton, and I didn’t like the fact that she was lumping Malcolm in with the other incarnations of the Trimuritive.

“It seems that Chaos has had a vision of some kind that has told him he will have a child to raise as his own and he contacted me to help him,” she went on, her voice full of sarcasm and distrust. “If I help him, he has agreed to return Christina’s memories to her. I have 24 hours to decide.” She paused for a moment to look around the table. “I think that it goes without saying that I have no intention to help him steal an innocent child, but the question remains of what to do with him.”

I didn’t like the sounds of that, not at all. “What do you mean, ‘what to do with him’?”

“If my understanding is correct, Sam, Chaos holds your Traditions magic,” she replied. “My first instinct is to kill him, but I would not want to cause you or the other Verbena to loose your magic. But the fact remains that he has caused only… well, chaos in what I have known of him. He threatened to take Brendan for this child that he has seen himself with. I can’t allow that to happen to you or any other mother. The question is what do we do about him?”

I wasn’t sure how much to say here, in front of these creatures. I trusted Brenda, but I didn’t trust them. Still I couldn’t leave her believing that Malcolm was evil. “Chaos didn’t threaten Brendan, and neither did Malcolm.”

She just looked at me for a moment. “Sam, I was there. I know who Chaos is and he wants a child and will get one with or without my help He’s adamant about it.”

“From what I understand, Brenda,” I said gently, “you met with Malcolm, not Chaos.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “And there’s a difference?”

“Yes, there is,” I said earnestly, “a big difference.”

She shifted nervously and glanced at the others gathered before turning back to me. “Would you share the difference with us then?”

Though I wasn’t eager to share my Tradition’s secrets, I could tell them some things. “Chaos is... chaotic.” There was no other word to describe his actions. “He thrives on it. Malcolm is nothing like that.”

“Aren’t they one in the same?” she asked.

“No, and yes.” I sighed softly, wondering once again how much I should say in this company. I looked at each of their faces, trying not to wince at what I saw in some of their futures. “The Trimuritive is three entities. Malcolm Robbins is one of them. To be very, very basic, he is all that is good, Chaos is all that is not, and the Crone is neither. I know that it’s difficult to understand, but there it is.” I looked at Brenda once more. “You didn’t meet with Chaos tonight. If you had met him, you probably wouldn’t have survived.”

“So, there are actually three personalities living in the same body?” she asked thoughtfully.

“That’s a vast oversimplification, but not completely incorrect,” I told her. Many of the Verbena did not understand the way the Trimuritive worked, I didn’t expect her to understand after such a simple explanation as the one I’d just given. “The point is that you met with Malcolm tonight, and that he is right, he will find a child, I have seen it.”

“And you’re okay with it?” she near demanded, obviously stunned.

I smiled slightly. “It has always been the way of the Trimuritive to pass along the legacy in this manner, to make way so that the magic will continue, strong and stable. Normally the power passes through blood, but in this instance that isn’t possible.” I knew I had to make them understand the gravity of the situation. “If Malcolm dies without finding a way for the next entity, our magic will be lost forever. That cannot, must not be allowed to happen, and in fact it will not happen,” I added. “There is nothing you can do to stop him, but perhaps it will ease your concerns to know that he cannot simply steal a child for this need.”

“Why would he ask for my help in acquiring a child?” Brenda asked with a thoughtful frown.

I shrugged. “I don’t think he knew until a short time ago that the child must be given freely.”

She glanced around the room, thinking furiously. “Do you feel that a child would suffer with him?”

“No, not at all,” I replied honestly. “He would raise the child as his own, with love.” I had seen as much in his aura.

James leaned forward, speaking hesitantly. “Excuse me; you said he didn’t know until a short time ago that the child must be given freely. How did he learn of this?”

It is said that the last seer was killed by vampires because they did not like what she saw for their future. Though I’d had no such visions of my own fate, I knew I had to be very careful what I told these vampires lest my future change. “Sometimes when I look at someone, I see things. I saw the truth in his aura, and I told him.”

“You spoke with the Trimuritive this evening?” Alden asked.

“I did.”

I didn’t need to use magic or even see her aura to know that Brenda was upset but doing her best to stay calm. “Was this before or after he talked to me?” she demanded.

“After,” I admitted. “He hoped that I would be able to see the path he needed to take in order to keep the Verbena craft intact. Any child he receives must be given willingly. It’s why he hasn’t been able to find C—” I stopped myself before I said the woman’s name. I doubted Brenda knew about the child, and I thought it best that Christina does not find out, at least not now. “—the child he originally had in mind, and why Chaos failed to get Lena Stockton’s child. Chaos blames his failure on Christina, but it isn’t her fault, it’s simply fate.” I looked around the table again, drawn once more to the images dancing in their auras. Dragging my attention back to Brenda, I said, “Fate dictates that he will find a child, and soon.”

“But why ask me for help?” she questioned. “He must know that I would be the last person to have access to a child for him.”

“I believe he thought your need to have Christina’s memory returned would override your dislike of him,” I told her.

James spoke again. “Did you see whose child he would be given?”

I thought of the way my son’s aura had responded to Malcolm’s, but I wasn’t quite ready to hand my son over, not just yet. “Possibly.”

He gave me a questioning look. “Possibly?”

I nodded. “As I said, the child must be freely given.”

“Have you seen who will give their child freely to him?” he insisted.

_They’ll embrace him if they can, _Min warned. _Steal the magic from your people forever. Or hide him away as Brenda would like so that he can’t hurt anyone else she loves._

While I didn’t want to lie, it would be foolish to tell the truth here in this room. “I’m afraid that even if I had seen, I would not share that information here.”

“You do not trust us?” Micky asked carefully.

“It is simply that the Trimuritive is too important to my people to be that free with information about him.”

“Did you see enough of the situation to know whether or not my involvement is needed?” Brenda asked hesitantly.

“That is your choice, Brenda,” I said carefully. “I know that he will find a child with or without your help. I suppose the question for you is; are you willing to help him?”

She looked around the table at the others before turning back to me. “Honestly, I’m not sure that I trust him even though you seem to, Samantha. What happens if he can’t get a child willingly? How am I supposed to help him?”

“You don’t understand, he will find the child he needs,” I told her, told them all, leaning forward and placing a hand on the table to emphasize my words. “There is no ‘if’, and it will be one given willingly so that the legacy of power will live on. Now, whether you help him find that child, or he finds it through another source, that I cannot say. If you don’t think your conscience will let you help him, that’s between you and your conscience.”

I looked at Elvira and Ford, saw for myself in the shapes hanging in their auras what they would do if they were to capture Malcolm. “I realize that you all are interested in the Trimuritive and would have a use for him in your own ranks, but that will not happen.” I turned to Brenda. “Nor will you be able to pack him away for his own good and for what you believe to be the good of those you love. Malcolm has done no harm to you, to your friends or family, and there is no reason for me _not _to trust him.”

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, Samantha,” she said with great conviction. “I don’t care if there are multiple people lurking under the surface or not, you cannot tell me that Malcolm never hurt anyone, especially my family. You can trust him if you want to,” she said, looking at the others for emphasis. “I have no reason _to_ trust him.”

I could see that she didn’t understand the difference between Malcolm and the others, probably never would see the difference given her history with them. “Would you not trust an elder of your people, no matter what good or ill he has done? And whether you trusted him or no, would you not do what is best for your people, no matter what the cost?”

James exchanged glances with first Micky then Elvira. I could see that the men were troubled by my statement, but Elvira seemed to take it as a matter of course.

“I have already proven how much I trust my elders,” Brenda replied, glancing at the head of the table, “but they have never done the things that Malcolm has. I am not sure that a child under his care is safe.”

“You should not judge Malcolm by Chaos’ actions,” I cautioned her. “They are not the same.”

“You both have made excellent points,” Elvira cut in smoothly. “We would like to thank you for your time, Mrs. McLean, it is not often those such as we have an opportunity to speak with one who has your gifts. Perhaps we can meet another time to talk of other things.”

I knew what she meant by that. She wanted to pick my brain about what I’d seen here tonight in the auras of the people gathered. Some things I could tell her, but I knew there were some things I could never say. If I told her what would happen to her childe, she would kill me when he met final death, believing I had something to do with it.

“Perhaps,” I agreed after a long moment. “As long as you understand that there are some things I cannot speak to you of.”

Elvira nodded. “I understand, of course. Simply let Brenda know when you would like to have dinner some evening. Micky, perhaps you and Rafael would be so kind as to escort Mrs. McLean to her car.”

Micky nodded and got to his feet. I took the hint and nodded respectfully before following him out the door. Once in the hall, Rafe took my arm and led me toward the door. Behind us I could feel Micky and Graham watching.

We were silent until we had reached the car.

“Brenda—” Rafe began, but I didn’t let him finish.

“Brenda should never have asked me to come here,” I said sternly. “As if I’d tell those creatures everything they wanted to know. Do you know what they would do to him, if they got their hands on him?”

“No, I—”

“They’d kill him, make him one of them. It would destroy the Verbena, Rafe,” I told him. “I won’t let that happen.”

“I’m sure Brenda didn’t think about it that way, Sam,” he said soothingly.

“Then she needs to think a bit more about things before calling me in for an… inquisition like that.” I opened my car door. “I’m going home. Tell Brenda I love her, but I’m not her pet Verbena.”

Without waiting for a reply, I got in, started the car, and drove away.


	3. Debating Choices

_Nothing’s what it seems, I mean_   
_It’s not all dirty, but it’s not all clean_   
_ Jewel – Stand_

MY CELL PHONE rang when I was nearly home. A glance at the display told me who was calling. “Hello, Brenda,” I said as neutrally as I could manage.

“Hey, Sam,” she replied carefully. “I thought I’d call to ask if you minded if we came over.”

“I guess that depends on who ‘we’ is.” I wasn’t about to invite any other vampires into my home. “You and Rafe are always welcome, of course.”

“Well, it’s Rafe, Howie and me actually,” she replied. “Is that okay?”

“Yes, that’s fine.” I felt something inside relax a little. “Do you need Rachael to stick around? She and Jared are sitting with AJ and Brendan.”

“If they’d like. Rachel’s input could be helpful.”

“I’m almost home, I’ll ask if she wants to stay,” I told her. “I don’t think Jared should be involved though. I mean, he met—he’s not Verbena.”

“I understand,” she said softly. “He was there when Malcolm came to see you?”

I hesitated a moment, not sure what to tell her, not sure who else was listening on her end of the conversation. “Yes, but I’d rather discuss this when we get to the house, if you don’t mind.”

“That’s fine,” she agreed easily. “We’ll meet you there in a few minutes then.”

I pulled into the driveway about the same time I hung up the phone. There were questions in AJ’s eyes when I went inside, questions I really couldn’t answer completely, not just yet. I thanked Jared for sitting with my family, and he got the hint, saying his goodnights and telling us to call him soon.

While we waited for Brenda and the guys to show up, I gave Rachael and AJ an abbreviated version of what had happened at the Tremere chantry. It was hard not to get angry all over again, but somehow I managed to keep my cool. Brendan’s presence helped, I never liked to show him any sort of anger. I held him on my lap and tried not to think of what would happen if he really was the child Malcolm needed.

AJ got the door when our guests arrived and showed them into the living room. Brenda sat near me and began playing with Brendan, who was very happy to see her and crawled onto her lap.

“Sam says that your people are interested in the Trimuritive,” Rachael said when everyone was seated.

“More like the Trimuritive is interested in my help, which opens up a possible can of worms.” She glanced around as if trying to read everyone’s faces. “I know that we’ve managed to maintain our relationships without getting into each other’s supernatural dealings for the most part. But this is different. When Malcolm approached me, he opened a door that I can’t close. The Tremere are looking at this like it’s a chance to establish a friendship… or at least a friendly dialogue with him. I’ll be expected to help.”

“What do they expect to gain from this dialog?” Rachael asked.

“A powerful ally in the mage world,” she said simply.

“It looked more like they wanted to control him to me,” I put in, getting up to pace a bit.

“Well, of course control would be nice,” she admitted. “Listen, I’m going to be totally honest here. The elders would love to control someone with as much power as Chaos, but they know that it just wouldn’t work. A friendly relationship will work for them and they’ll see this as the perfect opportunity to win his trust to build a friendship.”

“You keep calling him Chaos,” I pointed out. “I know he’s done a lot of things to your family, but Chaos isn’t all that the Trimuritive is.”

“She’s right,” Rachael agrees. “From what I understand, as a whole the Trimuritive can be quite pleasant.”

Brenda looked down at my son and tickled him under his chin before answering. “That may be what you know of him, but Chaos is all I know of him. No amount of assurance will change that.”

Rachael and I exchanged glances. “Have you decided to help him after all?” I asked.

“The fact that the child must be given freely has changed things drastically,” she said without looking up from her play with Brendan. “Even though I still don’t trust him, I’ve decided to negotiate with Chaos for the return of Christina’s memories, providing that I can find a child. That’s where I need your help.” She finally looked up at Rachael. “Samantha said that it would be an honor to a Verbena to have him raise their child because of who he is. Do you know of anyone with a child that might be willing to give him or her up?” Before Rachael could reply, Brenda pulled Brendan closer to her chest and added, “And don’t even think about it, Samantha McLean. My nephew is not in the running.”

AJ shot a stunned look in my direction. “Did you tell her what you saw?”

“No,” I said honestly.

Her hands tightened on my son. “Samantha…” she breathed cautiously.

I sighed, knowing I couldn’t keep the information from her forever. If she were just another Tremere I’d have lied or done whatever else I had to do, but this was Brenda. Sitting beside her on the couch, I said, “If you help me, I can show you what I saw.”

When she nodded, I reached up to lay the back of my fingers against her temple. I closed my eyes and sent an image of the scene I’d witnessed earlier, of Brendan walking to Malcolm, of their auras merging and exchanging images until it wasn’t clear where one stopped and the other began.

“No,” she whispered. “Sam, you can’t…”

I let my hand fall to my lap. “What if it’s the only way?” I asked sadly. “I don’t know if the same thing will happen if just any child sits on his lap, but what if it doesn’t? What if Brendan is the only child that happens with? What if he’s the one meant to be the next Trimuritive?”

Words seemed to have escaped her. She looked pleadingly toward Rafe and AJ, as if either of them could talk me out of giving away my son.

AJ came to me and took me into his arms, holding me comfortingly. “We really haven’t had a chance to talk about this,” he told her. “We don’t know if there is another way.”

“What’s to talk about?” Rafe said firmly. “You can’t give that maniac your son.”

“And if it’s the only way for the Verbena to keep their magic?” Rachael asked.

Rafe had no answer to that one.

“You said that Malcolm isn’t Chaos now, but that person is still at part of him. Do you want that for Brendan? Do you want him to turn people’s lives upside down?” she demanded almost desperately, looking down at the boy in her arms. He smiled and reached for her necklace, putting the beads in his mouth with a satisfying sucking sound. “God, I don’t want that for any child, but especially not for him.”

“In one way it’s not exactly what I’d hoped for my son,” I admitted sadly. “I’d hoped that he’d live a normal life, with a family, and perhaps awaken someday. But Chaos isn’t all that the Trimuritive is, Brenda. In another way it’s more than I could have hoped for him. He’d have power beyond anything you or I could imagine.”

“But as far as you know, any child could fill the role,” Rafe insisted. “Can’t you take him a bunch of kids and see what happens?”

“We could,” I told him, “but his time is growing short. Malcolm Robbins is not long for this world.”

“What you do mean?” Brenda demanded. “Is he going to die soon? Or is he going to change again?”

“The current entity will die,” Rachael explained gently. “He must make way for the Trimuritive to exist in another, which is why he is looking for a child.”

“And he will find one,” I said firmly, “he must and soon, or he will fail, and the Verbena magic will be lost. We can’t let that happen.”

“Fine,” she replied with a heavy sigh. “But we look for another child first. Brendan is the closest I’ll ever have to a child and I’d rather have him here with us. That may sound selfish and I’m sorry, but that’s how it is.” She looked at Rafe apologetically, though I had no idea what she was apologizing for.

“I think we have a day or so before his time is up. I—” For a moment I wondered how much I should tell her but looking at her aura now and remembering what was in Malcolm’s, I knew she posed no threat to him, no matter how much she wanted to. “I’m meeting with him tomorrow. If we can find a child before the meeting, I can take it with me, see what happens.”

“Are there any other Verbena in the area with children that may work?” she asked thoughtfully. “What about newly orphaned children?”

“There is another Verbena who had a child a few months ago,” Rachael offered. “I don’t know of any orphans.”

“What is the likelihood that she would give the child up?” she asked, adding quickly, “For the Trimuritive. Were you planning on contacting her?”

“As this is the first I’d heard of helping Malcolm find a child, I hadn’t thought about it. I could ask her,” Rachael replied. “What the hell am I supposed to say, ‘wanna give up your kid for the good of the tradition’?”

“Why don’t you call her,” I suggested. With a nod, she headed for the kitchen. “I don’t mind getting a few candidates together,” I told Brenda, “but I’m not going to take Brendan out of the running until I see that someone else can take his place.”

“Sam-” both AJ and Rafe began.

“I mean it,” I said firmly, not letting them finish. “I don’t expect any of you to understand how important the Trimuritive is, but it is imperative that he exists.”

Brenda laid her hand on my arm. “I understand how important he is, Sam. That’s the only reason I haven’t tried to kill him. But you have to see how hard this is… for all of us.”

“It’s the way of the Trimuritive,” I told her gently. “They bring balance to the craft, to the world, each aspect in its own way. I know it can be difficult for those caught up in its existence, but life isn’t all about wine and roses. There must be both good and bad or there is no balance.”

She was silent for a moment, watching Brendan play. I could tell she was trying to think of a way, any way, that we wouldn’t have to give him to Malcolm. Part of me was right there with her, but deep down I knew it was too late. My son would be the next Trimuritive and nothing any of us did could stop it.

Rafe was standing near the end of the couch, arms crossed, looking angry as hell. Brenda noticed his stance and reached for his hand.

“Does anyone you know have access to children who have been orphaned?” she asked. “We might access that route as well.”

“I have some contacts at some of the county agencies,” I reminded her. “It might be hard to get access to them though, especially with such short notice.”

“What about your people?” AJ asked Brenda. “I would think they’d have more resources than we would.”

“They’re working on it,” she told him. “It doesn’t hurt, though, to have more than one source looking into it.”

“I can’t believe you’re really thinking seriously about this,” Rafe bit out angrily. “I realize that your magic depends on him, Sam, but this guy is poison. There’s no balance, just hate.”

“I know it’s hard for you to see it, Rafe,” I replied patiently. “But I wouldn’t even think about giving him Brendan if I didn’t think it was necessary.”

“Do you really need your magic?” he shot back. “Can’t you just be happy being human?”

I couldn’t believe he would say something like that, couldn’t believe he was asking me to give up all that I was, all that I knew. I stepped away from my husband and walked to the window, fighting for control of my temper.

“Rafe,” I heard Brenda say quietly. “That’s unfair to your sister and you know it. That would be like asking me to give up my abilities. It’s impossible. It’s part of who she is. Believe me, I don’t like the idea of Brendan going with Malcolm anymore than you do and we’ll do all we can to make sure that doesn’t happen, but in the meantime let’s not make each other feel bad because we’re coming from two different approaches okay? It’s unfair and wastes time.”

“I don’t see why you’re doing anything to help Christina,” he replied in a low voice. “This whole mess is her fault anyway, and you know damn well she won’t thank you when it’s over.”

“My gallant knight.” I heard her shift on the couch, heard him sit down beside her. “You know that I have to do this. I have to see it through.”

“Don’t tell me her love of noble causes is rubbing off on you.” His voice was still angry, but less harsh than it was. “That’s how she got into this mess, saving the Trimuritive.”

“Brendan, Uncle Rafe needs a kiss,” she said playfully. A moment later I heard Brendan laugh. “Feel better now?”

“Not really,” Rafe replied, though there was a smile in his voice. “But there’s not anything I can do about it, is there?”

_He’ll never understand, _Min told me. _He blames Christina, not just for this, but for many other things as well. Why is there so much hate in him for her?_

Before I could ask, Rachael came back into the room. “No joy,” she announced. “Susan’s out of town and won’t be back for a week.”

I turned to face the room once more. “I can’t check with the agencies until tomorrow. That leaves your people.”

Brenda nodded. “I’ll call and see if they’ve come up with anybody.” She handed Brendan to Rafe and stood, taking out her cell phone and walking into the hall.

The room was quiet while she was gone except for low conversation between Howie and Rafe. I turned back to the window and blocked it out, thinking only of Malcolm, and my son.

It seemed like Brenda had barely left when she came back into the room. She told us the clan had a lead on a child, but that it wasn’t concrete yet.

“Are you planning on trying to help him then?” Howie asked.

She nodded. “It’s against my better judgment, but I will for the moment. Sam and Rachel are the Verbena here and should know more about him that the rest of us. So, I’ll play along for now and hope for the best.”

“Play along?” Sam asked carefully. “Do you intend to give him a child if we find one better suited than Brendan?”

“Yes,” she replied. “But I can’t trust him, Sam. I just can’t. But I won’t go back on my word, either, you should know that by now.”

“If it comes down to Brendan,” Rachael asked me, “will you be giving him to Malcolm, or will Brenda?”

“Does it matter?” AJ demanded stiffly.

“It might,” she replied. “He told you that whoever gave him a child would get another one to replace it, but he told Brenda he’d give her sister’s memory back.”

“I-I’m not sure.” I looked at AJ, wishing we’d had time to talk about this. “No child could replace Brendan, of course, but it might help to know we’d have another child.”

“What about Christina’s memory?” Howie asked Brenda.

She reached out for Rafe, who looked as if he was going to explode. “I don’t know,” she answered. “Maybe since we’ve made a group effort Malcolm will be kind. We’ll have to see.” She ignored Rafe’s derisive snort and looked in my direction. “When are you supposed to see him again?”

“Tomorrow. We’re supposed to have lunch.”

“I’m going with you,” Rafe growled.

“No, you’re not,” I told him firmly.

“That might not be a bad idea,” Brenda suggested. “Maybe Rachel, too.”

“Maybe Rachael, but not Rafe,” I insisted, looking at the shapes in my brother’s aura. If he went, he’d try to kill Malcolm, and he’d die. I knew he wouldn’t accept that explanation, so I offered another. “I can’t trust you not to snap. You’ve had an anger management issue for a while now.”

“I can hold my temper,” he growled.

“Exactly my point,” I said simply. “You’re not going.”

“If not your brother then I’d appreciate it if Howie could go,” Brenda suggested. “That way Malcolm will understand that we are working on this together.”

“Brenda,” I said carefully, “with all due respect, my meeting with Malcolm is a Verbena matter. I’d planned on asking him to meet with me again, later in the day, to see the children. Perhaps he would agree to Howie coming to that meeting.”

“Fine.” I could tell she didn’t like it, but there was nothing she could do to change my mind. “I would appreciate that. If there are any children for him to see at that point.”

“I’m sure there will be,” I assured her. “How important is it to you that your sister gets her memory back?”

She glanced at Rafe before answering me. “Maybe it shouldn’t be, but it is important to me. Regardless of what happened, she is still my sister. I won’t delude myself into thinking that things will go back to the way they were before Malcolm lured her away and stole her memories, but if there is something that I can so to help get them back… well, I have to try.”

I nodded. “I’ll talk to Malcolm. If it does come down to Brendan, maybe he would be amenable to helping both of us.”

Brenda asked that we keep each other informed about what we learned. I agreed simply because I knew there was nothing she could do to stop Malcolm from becoming.

Brendan was falling asleep on Rafe’s lap. I asked my brother to take him upstairs, and once he was gone, I asked Brenda to talk with me in the study. Once we were alone, I said, “Is there a problem with Rafe? He seems very volatile lately.”

“He’s not happy about anything that concerns Christina,” she told me. “You bring up her name and it’s like a toggle switch that sets him off. He blames her for a lot of things that have happened in the past few months… and to be honest some of it’s warranted, and some isn’t. And then of course there’s Malcolm. None of us like or welcome him.”

“I know he’s still protective of me, but he can’t be involved in this, Brenda,” I said firmly. “He’ll try something that could ruin everything.”

She nodded. “I understand your concern and echo some of it, but you have to know that if I can’t be somewhere he’s my first choice. He would never do anything to endanger you… or any of his family for that matter. Malcolm is a touchy subject for all of us. I’m really trying to bury my instincts here concerning him.”

“Rafe wouldn’t endanger his family on purpose, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.” He’d end up dead, but she didn’t need to know that. “I don’t know why he’s so negative against Christina, but I know that you have your reasons for how you feel about the Trimuritive. I appreciate the effort your making to put that aside and help him.”

“Your brother.…” She sighed and rubbed her forehead in frustration. “He blames Chris for a lot of things. I’ve tried to talk to him but there’s things he’ll have to come to terms with on his own. He won’t do anything against Malcolm. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Is there anything I can do to help him?” I asked softly. “I’ve tried to talk to him about it, but he won’t tell me anything.”

She shook her head sadly. “No. I’ll talk to him again just to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid, but time is what he needs.”

I had to believe she was right. They left soon after Rafe came back downstairs, and so did Rachael. AJ and I sat in the kitchen for hours, talking about Malcolm, about Brendan, about the Verbena and about Magic. We hadn’t really come to any sort of conclusion when Brenda called again.

“Sorry to call so late, Sam, but I wanted you to know that the clan found a child and we have him here with us.”

“Did they?” I asked, surprised. “How did they manage that?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” she admitted. “The mother didn’t want him, and the clan paid her for the child.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “I’m sorry, did you just say she sold her son?”

“Sam, you wouldn’t believe it unless you were actually there,” she said sadly. “She was more worried about the money then she was her own child. He’s better off not being there. And she gave him up willingly. You should see him, he’s beautiful, dark hair and eyes. He kind of reminds me of your brother.”

“How old is he?”

“I think someone said he was six months,” she replied. “I got his doctor’s name so that someone could retrieve his medical history.”

“Is he okay?” I asked suddenly. “I mean, if she didn’t care about him, is he healthy?”

“I’m not a real judge,” she admitted, “but he seems okay, a little small for his age maybe. It seems like Brendan was a lot bigger at six months than Gabriel is. I looked him over as best as I could once we got him back here. He was hungry so between Rafe and me we were able to get him to eat some banana while we waited for Howie to get back with more supplies. Can you believe that that woman only gave us the smallest amount of formula and just a few clothes that were completely filthy? I left them all there and Howie got enough stuff for a few days, until we figure out what happens at least.” I could tell that she was deeply angered by the neglect the child had suffered. “He has a diaper rash that we’ve put ointment on and bathed him. I think he’s all right and sleeping now. I would feel better if you wanted to check him over, though.”

“I’ll come over first thing in the morning to take a look, if you’d like.”

“I would appreciate it. That way we know for sure that he’s healthy. I’ll let Rafe and Howie know to expect you. What time?” She laughed softly. “Not that it matters, right? I’m sure someone will be awake. That’s what babies do, isn’t it?”

“Usually.” The next few days would certainly be an adjustment for them. I wondered what would happen to the child when they learned he wasn’t the one Malcolm needed. “I’ll be over sometime around 9. If that’s a problem, have Rafe let me know, okay?”

“Okay, Sam, that should be fine. You’ll remember to call Howie for you second meeting with Malcolm, right?”

“I will,” I said softly. “How’s Rafe taking not being involved?”

“I don’t think it’s so much that he minded not being involved,” she said, before adding quickly, “He’s… he’s worried that Malcolm will do the same thing to me that he did to Christina and that there’s nothing he can do to stop it.” She hesitated a moment, then said, “Sam, promise me that if something does happen to me that you’ll look after him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“Brenda, he’s—” I took a deep breath and reminded myself that she still didn’t understand what the Trimuritive was. “What happened to Christina was for her protection. He’s got nothing to protect you from.”

Silence burned the line before she asked slowly, “What do you mean her protection?”

“I don’t know all the details,” I admitted, “but I did ask Malcolm about it. He said that her memory was wiped to protect her from the Tremere.”

She cleared her throat quickly. “That’s ridiculous. Chris wouldn’t need protection from her own clan. She was doing fine here. She had broken her blood bond and was working for the clan in security.” It was almost as if she was trying to convince herself. “Regardless, that doesn’t matter anymore.”

“I believe him, Brenda. I think there’s something you don’t know about, maybe something that happened while she was in Russia. I don’t think he would have done it just to be cruel.”

“I’m sure it has something to do with the childe she embraced somewhere along the way,” she said slowly. “And if that is the case it was pointless for him to do it. The Clan always has ways of finding things out.” She cleared her throat again. “It doesn’t matter, though. If this is a chance to get her memories back then I’ll do what I can for her.”

“I know you don’t approve of him, but I do believe he did what he thought best for your sister,” I told her. “Regardless, the point is that I seriously doubt he would have any reason to erase your memories.”

“Honestly, I don’t care about what he thinks is best,” she said a bit harshly. “Sam I don’t mean to sound rude, but just because you think he might not have a reason to do something doesn’t mean he won’t. I must protect your brother and Howie. They have to be my priority and I’m not letting my guard down, even after this is all played out.”

“I understand your reservations, Brenda, really I do,” I told her, “and there’s no reason to be complacent, but I’m sure that Malcolm has more important things to do in the time he as left than to mess with your head.” I sighed, knowing that nothing I said would ever convince her I was telling the truth. She would always believe the worst of Malcolm and the Trimuritive.

I agreed to come over the next day before my meeting with Malcolm to look at the boy, and we said our goodnights.


	4. A Meeting with Destiny

_When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees._   
_ Kenneth Kaunda_

THE MORNING WAS a busy one. AJ and I had sat up most of the night talking, and I’d spent the early hours of dawn sitting by my son’s cradle, watching him sleep. When he woke, AJ and I bathed him together, dressed him together, fed him together.

I left the house only long enough to go to Brenda’s and check on the boy they’d acquired, little Gabriel, and found him to be mostly healthy. I healed his diaper rash and argued with Rafe about the Trimuritive before walking out and going home to be with my family.

Near mid morning I talked to my contact at the child welfare agency, who agreed to let a recently orphaned child come to my house for a meeting with a potential adoptive family. Rachael agreed to pick up the girl, who’s name was Emily.

AJ and I talked over what could happen again and again. He didn’t like the idea of giving our son to a virtual stranger, but at least he understood why I was so willing to agree to it. Fifteen minutes before Malcolm was to show up for lunch, he took Brendan next door to Rachael’s.

Malcolm and I sat down in my living room and talked for a little while about various subjects. We had questions for each other, and one just seemed to lead to another. Eventually I brought up the idea of seeing him with the children we’d found.

“I want to watch you with them,” I said softly. “When you held Brendan last night, the strangest thing happened.” I showed him what I’d seen and when he seemed a bit stunned, I added, “I want to know if that happens with any child you hold, or if it’s just-just Brendan.”

He thought for a moment. “Have you ever been to the future?”

“The future?” I asked, surprised. “I never even thought about it. Why?”

“The closer I come to my destiny, the more of it I can see,” he admitted. “I know where the next will become and can find it in the time stream. Would you care to see?”

There were many dangers involved in time travel, but if I wasn’t safe with the embodiment of Verbena magic, I would never be safe. “If you’re sure that it won’t interfere, then yes, I would like to see it.”

“I cannot promise it will not change your thinking,” he warned me. “We will not interfere with the future, but we will see how the decision we are about to make will affect it.”

“Then let us see,” I agreed. “This is something we need to be sure of.”

“Then lets us.” He stood and looked down at me sternly. “But I must warn you, the when of where we are going will not be known. Do not try to find out either. That much is still not written.”

He offered me his hand and I took it, rising. A gateway opened there in my living room and we stepped through it, coming out of a doorway in the early evening of a busy downtown market area. It took only a moment to figure out that we were in Detroit, Michigan.

“The event will not happen for some time,” as he led me into a nearby café.

We sat down to eat and talked more while we ate. It was a nice, quiet conversation, where we talked of anything and everything except why we were here.

“This is Detroit,” I stated as we rose to go.

“Yes, this is where it will happen,” he confirmed. “Well, not right here, but in this city.”

“Isn’t this where you sent Christina?”

He paused for a moment to open the door for me and waited until we were on the sidewalk before answering. “Yes. And why I sent her too.”

I frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“And I didn’t either, until a short time ago,” he confided softly. “All this time I thought the child had to be connected to Chris, that that was her part to play. It isn’t. Christina’s role is, and has always been, to kill me. I ‘made the way’ by making her hate me so that she would, to create the next Trimuritive. I came to Salem for you, to seek a solution to my problem from you.”

Though I didn’t know Christina well, I felt sorry for the role she had to play. “She may hate herself for it though, once it’s over, but I think you’re right. The only question now is who will take over when you’re gone.”

“That is what we’re here to find out isn’t it?” He tried to force a smile, but I could tell that his heart wasn’t in it.

“Yes, it is.” I let silence settle between us as we walked, but eventually there was a question I had to ask. “It doesn’t bother you to think that she’s going to kill you? I mean, you were friends once, and she did save you not that long ago.”

“I don’t think she is; I know she will,” he said firmly. “Somehow the definitiveness of that knowledge makes it easier to accept. I don’t like it, but I do grow weary. The Art is gong to change, and so that which guides it must change as well.” He smiled at me in the streetlights for it had grown dark while we were eating. “And I was Chris the Verbena’s mentor. And that of her which is still Verbena will understand. Come now, let us walk. The event is closing in.”

“You said that you had made her hate you,” I prompted as we began to walk down the street. “Is she so angry that you took her memory?”

“No, not for the memory,” he replied sadly. “She hates me from long ago for the things that Chaos will do to her.”

“But she doesn’t remember any of that, does she?” From what Brenda had told me, Christina remembered a few things from her past, but not enough to trust her family. “Do you intend to give her memory back?”

“Tina remembers enough to hate me.” He paused for a moment, watching traffic as we waited for a light to change. “She will have no more memory of me when she kills me than she did when the child will be given to me.”

His shifting tenses were confusing and hard to follow, but I thought I knew what he meant. We were walking through a night up to six months in the future to see a child who hadn’t yet been given to Malcolm. At this moment, Tina remembered nothing more of him than she did on the day we’d left to come here.

“Where are we going?”

“To see the next be made. I know it happens in this city, but not where exactly,” he said hesitantly. “I am letting Fate guide me.”

Walking ahead of us I noticed two girls walking in the crowd. One was about eight, with long dark hair, and the other was only a few years younger but very blond. They drew my attention because the younger one kept glancing back at us.

_Something about them, _Min mumbled. _Something familiar._

“How will you know where Fate wants you to go?” I asked softly.

He chuckled and pointed to the girls I’d noticed. “I told you, I’m following Fate. Or two of them as this case may be.”

“They’re Fates?” I’d heard of them, of course, but hadn’t believed they could possibly be real. “How do you know?”

“Doesn’t your Avatar recognize them?”

_Of course! _Min crowed. _She who measures the thread of life and she who cuts it._

“Lachesis and Atropos,” I murmured. “Very interesting, I wonder where the others are.”

“We are here to observe only,” he pointed out. “They are more than able to guide us where we need to be to see what we need to see.”

_Observe and not change anything, _Min emphasized.

I wondered what the fates would do if we tried to save Malcolm in this future, but I knew it would be useless to try. Malcolm’s destiny was written in stone, there would be no changing it. “How does the next ‘become’? Will it happen when-when she kills you?”

“Yes.”

The child would be there, of course, that was what we had come to see. We followed the children as they led us to a less populated street with fewer shops, then all at once they vanished behind a crossing vehicle.

Malcolm stopped on the edge of the street and turned to me. “This is it. It will be soon.”

I was watching the people and the traffic when I realized that Malcolm was not. He was facing me, looking away from the street with his eyes closed. He also appeared to be mumbling to himself.

_Doesn’t want to watch himself die, _Min pointed out. _Would you want to witness your own death?_

Malcolm seemed to feel my eyes upon him and when he spoke his voice sounded much older, softer, more neutral than the Malcolm I’d come to know. “This knowledge is not for our eyes, Seer,” the Crone told me, “but for yours alone. Watch and see the decision you will have made.”

To my left I heard a man yell, “Petor!” I recognized the voice as that of Frasier O’Connell even before I turned to see him and Christina standing fifteen feet away. Both of them were pointing handguns and following the direction they were pointed in I could see Malcolm holding another man. It was a Malcolm I didn’t know, had never seen before, with scraggly hair and an aged face, even an ‘x’ shaped brand in the middle of his forehead. I knew instinctively that I was looking at Chaos.

The sound of a gunshot echoed through the street, and I watched as a bullet hit Chaos square in the chest. He fell to the ground, releasing the man he’d been holding. Traffic scattered and Christina began running toward where Chaos had fallen. Before she could get more than halfway across the street, she was thrown back by a wave of magic so strong I could feel the waves radiating from where I was standing.

A motorcycle squealed into view, stopping near the place that Chaos had fallen. The rider jumped from the bike and tore his helmet off, baring his grief-stricken face. Despite the tears and the obscenities he was screaming at Christina, I’d have known that boy anywhere.

A hand fell on my shoulder, an old hand, more aged than Malcolm’s, but the voice I heard came from Malcolm’s mouth even if it didn’t sound much like him. “We must go now.”

As the world blinked out I watched my eighteen-year-old son unleash a blast of magic that threw everyone in sight to the ground. A moment later we were back in my living room, only an instant after we’d left it.

I cursed softly as I sank down on the couch. I covered my eyes with my hand, trying to get a handle on my emotions. I was going to give my son over to be raised by another, to become the creature I’d seen holding Christina’s Petor.

“I’m sorry,” Malcolm said, sounding like himself again. “I should have warned you that this knowledge would be disheartening.”

Letting my hand fall, I looked up at him. “No, I should have expected it.” The images were still moving in his aura, but there were fewer of them now, as if his days had suddenly become numbered and there was not much left for him to do before death claimed him. “You know what is to happen?”

“I know what I will do now,” he admitted, “but not who will take my place. It is not for me to know, yet. The decision is not mine, but rather yours.”

I looked toward the mantle where a picture of my son sat smiling back at me. “He’ll hold so much hate inside of him.”

“That he must, to get the Art through,” he told me. “If you are sure you are okay, I’ll leave you to your thoughts.” After confirming that he’d be back to look at the children, he left without once asking who I’d seen there on the street of Detroit.

AJ came home a little while later, bringing our son with him. I played with Brendan as I explained to my husband what had happened that night in the not too distant future. He didn’t like it, not one bit, but I’d warned him to expect the answer that I’d found. By the time Howie came by with Gabriel, we’d both managed to contain our emotions.

Rachel showed up a few minutes before Malcolm did with a little girl who was about six months older than Brendan. She was a beautiful child, and I ached to think that she’d spend the next few years in foster homes.

I opened the door to Malcolm’s knock and managed a smile in greeting. We went into the living room where I introduced him to Howie, who was wary, but polite. When Malcolm went to shake AJ’s hand, Brendan tried to jump out of his arms, but AJ wouldn’t let him go.

Though we shared some small talk, I couldn’t let this meeting drag on forever. I asked Malcolm to hold Gabriel first, simply to get that part over with. The boy didn’t want to go to him, crying and reaching for Howie. Though Malcolm tried to sooth the child, the boy would not be calmed. After a few minutes I asked Howie to take him back.

“This child is not the one Malcolm needs,” I told Howie. “I knew it before you brought him, but I know that Brenda would want me to be sure and now you can tell her that I am.” I turned to Rachael, who was holding Emily. “She is also not the child he needs, but I will watch them together so everyone will know I am sure.”

It wasn’t often that Rachael looked uncertain. I didn’t know if it was because I hadn’t told her what I’d seen earlier that day, or if she was afraid of my ability to see things, but she was definitely unsure now.

She handed the girl to Malcolm and she seemed to like him well enough, but she was more interested in the drinks on the table than the honor of sitting in the Trimuritive’s lap. I could see many things in her future, good things, but nothing that tied her to Malcolm.

I took the girl from Malcolm and looked at my husband. I could see that he didn’t want to hand Brendan over, but I knew that he would.

AJ stood before Malcolm, looking at him for a long measuring moment before handing Brendan to him. “We give him freely into your keeping,” he said in a low voice. “Take care of him.”

His words seemed to catch Malcolm off guard, and he looked to me for direction. When I nodded, he took Brendan into his arms, or rather caught him as the boy launched himself at Malcolm.

I felt my husband’s arm go around my waist and put down the girl to lean against him. She clung to my leg as I watched my son’s aura merge Malcolm’s. Images flashed too quickly to identify, running between them like a flood of color it would take years to study even an instant of.

After a moment, Malcolm stood. “So, a child has been given, and so a debt must be paid,” he said softly. “Lay together tonight and the fruits of your love will be born in nine months time, a child the life of which will balance what her brother will do. And so, your sacrifice will be remembered.”

“It will be as you say,” I agreed, feeling a tear run down my cheek, “and more.”

“What of Christina?” Howie asked. “Brenda did as you asked, she found a child for you, though it was not the one you needed.”

“Tell Brenda to contact me this evening before midnight,” Malcolm told him. “I will discuss terms with her.”

Howie nodded as I let go of my husband and walked toward Malcolm and my son. I put my hand on Brendan’s shoulder, feeling soothed by the warmth of his body. “I’m not sure why the fates have chosen my son to succeed you, but I know that you will care for him,” I told Malcolm. “Though I know that it is an honor, we will miss him. When he is old enough, will you tell him how much we love him?”

“You may tell him yourself. He is still your son for the rest of this day. Lay him down before the clock strikes midnight. He will be gone by the last tone.” He kissed Brendan on the forehead and carefully drew a small symbol using the moisture from his lips. As he handed my son back to me, he said, “I will not see you again Seer, not in this lifetime. Fare thee well, all.”

Before our eyes he simply faded away. I whispered a goodbye toward where he’d been standing and tried not to cry. Though I hadn’t known him well or long, Malcolm had touched me in ways I hadn’t expected. I would miss him.

That night AJ and I stood next to Brendan’s crib holding him while we waited for the clock to strike midnight. We’d spent the remainder of the day playing with him, spoiling him as best we could in the time we had left.

The clock began to chime. We laid soft kisses on Brendan’s face as it chimed a second time, then a third. We held him through the fourth and fifth chimes, both of us struggling not to cry. Whispered words of love and goodbyes nearly drowned out the sixth and seventh chimes. After the eighth had faded away together we laid our son down in his crib. Brendan opened his eyes on the tenth chime and smiled at us even as he began to fade away. He was gone before the clock struck twelve.

**Author's Note:**

> My gaming group has always played fast and loose with the White Wolf rules, including lots of things we see in various TV shows, movies and books. We were playing mostly in the late 1990s and early 2000s so we use/used the editions available at that time. 
> 
> We also threw all the 'By Night' rules out of the window and created our own rulers in our cities. Some of the cannon White Wolf characters may show up from time to time, but don't expect them to be like the books. 
> 
> I'll be separating these stories both by character and by city, so some stories may be listed under multiple Series under my profile here on AO3. 
> 
> If you're interested in learning more about our world 'After Dark' please visit my website at www.whendarknessfalls.net.


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